For Love or Duty
by Lyra the Heretic
Summary: Newly-graduated math teacher Nobu Takanaka cared about all of his students, but for Atsuko Urameshi, he would do anything. Atsuko/Takanaka student-teacher romance and major divergence AU.
1. A Stupid Mistake

AN: I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I have this headcanon, and it gave me this idea, and then it kinda grew, and. Uh.

I've given Takanaka the first name Nobu, since he doesn't get one in canon.

* * *

"You're late again, Urameshi," Takanaka said sharply, keeping his eyes on the sentence he was writing on the board. He finished, set down the chalk, and turned around. He frowned. Usually, Atsuko Urameshi had a sarcastic response at the ready when she wandered into class halfway through the period, but today she had quietly taken her seat, her lovely long hair falling over her eyes. "Urameshi?"

"I'm sorry I'm late, sir," she said. "It won't happen again." She didn't lift her eyes from her desk. Something was wrong. Takanaka could see her hands twisting in her lap, and they and what he could see of her face were both pale.

He tried to set it aside and continue. "As I was saying, your career ambition sheets will be filed with the office, and your final tests start a week from Monday. It's my first full year," he smiled, "So I hope you'll make me look good." His class chuckled. At least he knew that whatever had Atsuko down hadn't affected the rest of the class. Still…

Nobu Takanaka couldn't remember a time before wanting to be a teacher. He had been set in his path before preschool, and aside from insisting he'd be a professional soccer player in sixth grade, he'd never once wavered.

His time as an assistant teacher, fresh out of school, had been everything he'd dreamed it would be, and then he'd been employed by Sarayashiki junior high to replace a math teacher who'd gotten married and resigned just a few months before the end of the year. That was when he'd met Atsuko, and his secure, certain world had been turned on its ear.

She was an eighth-grader then. She was younger than most of her classmates, but she looked older. When she bothered to show up for class, she proved herself a brilliant mathematician, but she didn't show up, more often than not, and she never turned in any homework. She would spend school hours chatting with her neighbors about boys or makeup and doodling pictures in her notebook. Whenever he'd tried to scold her, she'd responded with a mischievous, heart-stopping grin. And Nobu had been smitten.

Now she was one of his ninth-grade homeroom students, and though he'd tried to deny it (she was his student, and even if she wasn't he was twelve years older than her, and even if he wasn't she was beautiful and vivacious and he was - had always been - stodgy and plain-faced) he was helplessly in love, and there was nothing he could do about it but pretend he wasn't.

But something was wrong.

At the end of the day, after encouraging the students to see the school counselor about their career sheets, Nobu asked Atsuko to stay after class. She watched her friends leave the classroom with wistful eyes, but made no complaint. Another sign that all was not well.

Nobu sat down at the desk beside hers and sighed. "I don't mean to pry, Miss Urameshi, but you've been obviously upset all day. I won't ask you to talk to me if you don't want to, but if there's anything I can do to help-"

Atsuko flinched and spat a response. "There's nothing you can do, alright? If that's everything?" She stood up sharply and left the room.

As if to stop her, Nobu rose out of his chair, a hand outstretched. He wasn't fast enough; she'd already closed the door. He saw her bookbag was still tucked under her chair. Surely it would only be right to return her bag?

ooo

Atsuko's face was hot with embarrassment and frustration. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, and she let out an angry huff. "Stupid," she told herself, leaning against the wall. "Stupid stupid stupid." She brought her hands to her face and sank to the floor.

Of all the people who could have noticed something was wrong, it had to be Takanaka. The one person whose disgust and disappointment she couldn't bear, not after her conversation with her parents that morning. She scoffed, arms folded around her knees. If a shouting match could be called a conversation at all.

Her mind drifted to the package in her school bag, and her last ray of hope. Maybe she was wrong after all, and she could go home and pretend none of this never happened. She had hoped to catch her best friend, Hana, to keep her company, but Hana and the others left immediately. They hadn't even noticed something was wrong. They hadn't even noticed she was upset.

Only Takanaka had noticed, and he absolutely could not know why.

She had to take the test now. She had to be wrong. She-

She had forgot her bag.

"Urameshi!"

Shit. Atsuko leapt to her feet, hurriedly rubbing her eyes.

Takanaka came to a stop an arm's length away. "You left your bag in the classroom. You can't do your homework if you've left your textbook at school." He wore an awkward smile.

He was the only teacher who still asked if she had her homework each morning, the only one who still acted as though she might do it.

It wasn't fair.

She snatched the bag and ran.

Or, she would have, but Takanaka had been caught by surprise and failed to release it, and instead of grabbing it, Atsuko managed to scatter its contents across the floor. "I'll get it," she said, panicked. "It's fine. Go away." He couldn't see. He couldn't see-

"It's my fault it got dropped," Takanaka insisted, confused. "I'll help." He knelt down and put her pencil case back in her bag, then picked up a notebook and revealed the box underneath.

No.

His hand froze. "Urameshi."

ooo

Nobu's mind was racing at a thousand miles per hour. That was a pregnancy test. He knew Atsuko was more social than he had been at that age, but she hadn't had a boyfriend in months. Why did she have a pregnancy test?

"This… is for a friend, right?" He asked, already knowing it wasn't.

Atsuko burst into tears.

Awkwardly, he handed her the box. She clutched it to her chest and hid her face. Somewhat at a loss, Nobu finished packing up her bag while she cried, then held it out. Atsuko eyed it like a cornered animal. Slowly, she took the handle.

They stood in silence apart from her periodic hiccups.

"I didn't know you were dating anyone," Nobu said.

"I'm not."

"Ah." He gestured at the box. "Have you…?"

"No." Atsuko's hand clenched around the cardboard. "I was going to ask Hana to wait with me. She left when you held me back after class."

"I'm sorry."

Atsuko snorted and rubbed her face on her sleeve. "Whatever. I'll take the test on my own. I don't care."

"I could wait with you." Surely it wasn't crossing any boundaries to offer. It was his duty to do what he could for all of his students. Helping her with this… it wouldn't reveal how he felt.

She blinked up at him, confused.

"If you want," he added. "I could… I mean. It's only right to support you."

"Right," she said. "You're my teacher. It's your job." She paused, considering. "You don't have to, you know. None of my other teachers would."

"But I want to!" He exclaimed, immediately wincing. "That is, you're so young, and this is-"

"Okay."

"What?"

Atsuko handed him her bag. "Stay here. I'll be right back."

ooo

Atsuko went into the girls' bathroom and leaned against a stall door, thankful that the school building emptied so quickly after the last bell.

He didn't look disappointed in her, or ashamed. Atsuko didn't understand it, didn't understand _him_.

Takanaka had seemed too good to be true from the start. His first day teaching her math class last year, she had come in late and without her homework, as usual. Five minutes later, he had called on her to answer a question. She had thought he meant to make her look stupid, put her in her place. But when she gave the correct answer, he looked pleased. Surprised, but pleased. Atsuko had felt a flutter in her chest.

He hadn't tried to make her look stupid. In fact, he hadn't tried to make anyone look stupid. Two weeks into ninth grade, Hana had fallen asleep in his class. She'd fallen asleep in English, too, and been sent out into the hall, but Takanaka just tapped her on the shoulder and carried on with the lesson. That day he'd told the class to get some sleep instead of assigning homework, smiling like he'd just shared a secret joke. She loved his smiles.

And he scolded her when she was late, but never made her miss any more of the class by standing in the hall. Atsuko thought he might _actually mean it _when he said he wanted them to do well. Last spring, his math class' test average had been the highest in the school. And him only twenty-five, and a first-year teacher besides.

He was perfect.

Someone like him, who'd already made so much out of his life, couldn't possibly feel anything for someone like her, who never could. She knew that.

But she felt lighter knowing that he was waiting outside.

Atsuko took out a test strip and used it.

ooo

Nobu straightened up as Atsuko returned from the bathroom. Her eyes were intent on the little strip of paper she held in her hand.

"Let's go back to the classroom," he said quietly. "How long will it take to get the result?"

"Five minutes," she replied. "Five minutes and I'll know whether my life is over."

Shutting the classroom door with more force than he'd intended, Nobu said, "Your life will not be over. No matter what happens, things _will_ turn out somehow."

"No," Atsuko said bitterly. "My parents threw me out this morning."

"What?" Nobu met her eyes on accident, and she laughed with no real humor.

"I'd say good riddance, but they were paying my school fees. Not sure where I'll stay, either. Hana's family doesn't fit in their apartment as it is." She held out the box. "Here, you take this. I can't look."

"What about… the father?" Nobu kept his eyes away from the test as well.

Atsuko shook her head. "Some guy at a club. I'd been drinking. I was stupid."

"They let you in!" What kind of irresponsible club would-

"Cool it, teach. I have a fake ID." She tried her best mischievous grin, but it looked fake. "Besides, I look older than I am." She studied his profile. "You sure picked an odd thing to finally get upset about." He tried to answer, but she waved him away. "I'm not complaining. You aren't treating me like a stupid kid. I like that about you."

Nobu flushed at that, turning his face away. He couldn't take anything she said the wrong way. He checked his watch.

"Time to find out if I'm on the streets?"

Nobu shrugged, trying not to think of the upsetting image that sentence made.

"The strip is blue. What does the box say?"

He swallowed turned the box over to show the directions. On any other day, he'd have thought better of it, but when he looked at the box, his mouth moved on its own.

"Marry me," he said.


	2. Marry Me

Expect the next chapter to be a bit slower.

I've got midterms coming up and probably ought to focus on them.

* * *

"Marry me."

Atsuko stared.

Takanaka ran a hand through his hair. "Sorry, forget I said anything."

"It's positive, isn't it?" She folded her arms together and looked up through her bangs. "Are you trying to mess with me?"

"No!" He exclaimed. "That is, I…" He trailed off.

She felt something cold and bubbly in the pit of her stomach. "Seriously?"

"I-Yes. I mean it."

He couldn't possibly. "I'm not old enough to get married."

"So move in with me."

"I won't do anything," she said forcefully. "Don't get any ideas."

"I wouldn't ask you to," he replied with equal vehemence.

She stared again, her face a mask of bewilderment. "Why? Why do this?"

Takanaka clasped his hands together and stared at a point on the floor. Silence sat heavy between them.

"Because I'm in love with you," He finally answered.

Impossible. A man like him, in love with a stupid, worthless, tainted girl? "You couldn't be."

"I shouldn't be," he corrected. "I'm your teacher, and you're practically a child."

"I'm not a child. I'm _having_ a child, apparently."

"You're not a child," he agreed. "And in half a month, you won't be my student. So, will you marry me? … Someday?"

God, she wanted to.

"I don't love you," she confessed.

Takanaka winced, but replied "I didn't think you would."

"I mean." She studied the backs of her hands. "I can't say that I do, but… I'd really like to marry you."

To be married to a man like him sounded like a fairytale. And if they were married, they'd be family. A family with him would be so much better than the one she came from. But thinking of family brought up something else.

"What about the baby?"

"We can raise it together," he replied easily.

"And," her voice quieted to a whisper, "What about high school?"

"I want you to go," Takanaka said seriously, "I really believe you can make something great out of yourself. But I won't make you."

Make her? She'd jump at the chance. "I'm a year ahead, so I could take a year off and start high school after I've had the baby." Takanaka nodded. "You know they're going to think it's yours."

"Well, won't it be?" He asked.

She felt her eyes getting bright with tears. "Let's get married," she said.

"I'll make sure you never have reason to regret it," he told her, taking her hands and causing a warm flush to spread up her arms and through her chest. She smiled, feeling a strange mixture of pleased and embarrassed. Then, after staring in silence for a couple moments, he laughed. "My god," he said, "What am I going to tell the principal?"

"Oh." Atsuko's good mood shattered. "What if they _do_ think it's yours? You'll be fired."

Takanaka shook his head. "If that happens, I'll deal with it. Principal Kusakabe should still be in his office now. I'll tell him the truth – that you've been thrown out by your parents and I'm offering you a place to stay." He brought a hand up to her face and stroked it back through her hair. She reddened. "You know you don't have to do this. I'll help you even if you don't want-"

"I do," she assured him. "Please, don't take it back."

"I could never." He released her other hand. "I'm going to talk to the principal now, before I lose my nerve. Do you want to stay with your friend tonight, or?"

"I'll go with you," Atsuko decided. "Oh. If we're living together, maybe… call me Atsuko?"

"Atsuko," he said, voice low. She shivered. "Then call me Nobu."

He left, and Atsuko gathered her bag and wandered out to the school gate in a daze.

ooo

Nobu was half-certain he was dreaming, somehow. He wondered when it would turn in to a nightmare, as dreams like this inevitably did. But no; the sound of the linoleum under his shoes was real enough, and no dream had ever been so detailed as to include the sweat on his palms.

Arriving at the Principal's office door, he knocked. "Come in," Principal Kusakabe called after a moment.

He entered the office and stood stiffly.

"Takanaka?" Kusakabe asked, looking up from a mess of paperwork. "Well, sit down."

"Yes sir." He took a seat in front of the desk as Kusakabe kept examining the forms in front of him. Finally, he looked up and frowned.

"Well, Takanaka? What is it?" Where could he start? "Is something wrong?"

"No sir. Not with me. But…"

"Go on," the principal gestured.

"It's one of my students, sir. Atsuko Urameshi." He paused. "She was acting… different, in class today. I asked her to stay back after the bell, and… well, it seems she's been thrown out of her home."

Kusakabe raised an eyebrow. "Did she mention why?"

"She's pregnant. She doesn't know who the father is."

Kusakabe leaned forward, resting his hands on his chin. "That is troubling, but I can't say I'm surprised." Nobu worked to keep from bristling at that remark. "Listen, Takanaka. You're young. You have to understand that these things happen. There's little the school can do about it."

"No, I know that," Nobu interrupted. "I just wanted to tell you I've offered to let her stay with me."

Kusakabe's mouth shut with an audible click.

"Not as a member of the faculty," He continued, "But as an individual. She's accepted. I thought you should know."

"I see." Kusakabe replied slowly, a serious look on his face. "_Does_ she know who the father is?"

"No. I wouldn't lie about that."

"I should hope not." Kusakabe sighed. "Then there's nothing else I can say, I think. In any case, she won't be the school's business after testing is over."

Nobu nodded, relieved.

"Keep in mind I can't protect you if this goes wrong in any way," he warned. "And I won't try."

"I understand that, sir. It won't." Nobu stood to leave.

"And Takanaka?"

"Yes sir?"

"Tell me, why are you doing this?"

Facing the door, Nobu smiled to himself. "I don't know, sir. Perhaps I feel it's my duty as a teacher." He opened the door. "Or maybe I'm just a fool. Good evening, sir."

"I'll see you on Monday, Takanaka."

ooo

If anyone had told Atsuko this morning that she'd end the day feeling like she was floating on air, she'd probably have started a fight and made herself even later to class than she already was. Even now, a part of her was waiting for Takana- _Nobu_ to come to his senses and change his mind.

But a larger part knew he wouldn't. It was that part that made her feel like she was full of helium.

"Atsuko? What are you still doing here?"

Atsuko whipped around. "Hana! I thought you went to the arcade with Suzu and Kanako."

"We did," Hana answered. "But Suzu's planning on confessing to that guy in 3-2. The basketball player." Atsuko nodded. "She put a love letter in his locker this morning. Which you'd have known if you weren't so late."

She shrugged noncommittally. "Sorry. I had a fight with my parents."

"What, again?" Hana shifted from teasing to sympathetic. "What stupid thing did they find to pick on this time?"

"No," Atsuko corrected. "There was an actual reason this time. They threw me out." She crossed her hands over her stomach unconsciously.

"What?!" Hana exclaimed. "What excuse could they possibly-" Her eyes landed on Atsuko's hands. She quickly dropped them to her sides. "Atsuko?"

"That club three weeks ago."

"Lucky Seven?" Hana leaned against the gate next to her. "Didn't you go off with one of the band members?"

Atsuko shook her head. "Maybe. I don't remember. Don't tell Kanako or Suzu," she ordered. "I'll tell them. I just need a little time."

"Tell us what?" Hana grimaced guiltily as Kanako came swanning out the gate, dragging Suzu by one wrist. "Suzu has a boyfriend," she announced proudly. "They've promised to go to the same high school."

Atsuko and Hana shared their congratulations. "So what are you going to tell us?" Suzu asked, looking the way Atsuko had felt five minutes before.

Cursing mentally, she answered. "My parents finally found an excuse to throw me out." She gritted her teeth. "I guess I can't keep it from you. I'm pregnant."

"Boy or girl?" Kanako asked immediately. "Also: with who?"

"Well I don't know, do I? It's only been three weeks. And… I don't know." She glanced at Hana again. "Maybe that drummer?"

"Probably the drummer," Kanako nodded. "The guitarist you were flirting with seemed interested, too, but he ended up giving the bassist a blowjob out by the back door. I heard it from the bartender," she said, answering their unasked question.

"But Atsuko, what are you going to do?" That was Suzu. "You're too young to have a kid! I'm too young, and you're younger than me!"

"Well, I am going to have it. Raise it, too."

"Atsuko." Hana placed a hand on her shoulder, eyes concerned. "Do you know how you're going to do this?"

"You don't have a place to stay, do you?" Suzu interjected.

"Well…"

Of course Nobu would choose that moment to leave the school building.

"N- Mister Takanaka!" She called.

Nobu gave her an uncertain look as she pulled him away from the gate. "Miss Urameshi. Did you want to go out with your friends?"

"No, I just." Atsuko twisted a lock of hair around her finger. "I told them about, um, everything, and…" She looked up, an unspoken question in her eyes. "They're worried about where I'll stay."

"Oh." Nobu nodded. "Of course you can tell them. I've spoken to the principal, too." He ran a hand through his hair. "I wouldn't say he's fine with the situation, but he won't oppose it."

"And… what should I tell them about us?"

"Whatever you want. Keeping in mind that rumors would be bad for both of us."

"I want to tell them we're engaged," Atsuko said, grinning. "As for gossip, Hana can keep them in line."

"Go ahead, I'll bring my bike around." He left for the bike shed, a boyish grin on his face.

Atsuko returned to her friends waiting at the gate. Her smile was starting to feel stuck on her face. "I'm staying with Nobu." She announced. "And, we're getting married."

"Oh my god, he really _does_ have a thing for you!" Hana exclaimed.

Kanako looked smug. "I told you so."

"What." Atsuko looked back and forth between them.

"Well," Hana explained, "It's always been obvious that you're his favorite student, but I didn't think…"

"I don't think anything was obvious," Suzu interjected. "I'm confused."

Hana clasped Atsuko's arms. "Be careful. Remember, you don't have to do anything you don't want to."

"Please," Kanako snorted. "He's too noble to try anything. Besides, you must have realized Atsuko's had a crush on him, too."

"She has?"

"I have?"

"Yes, you have," Kanako stated decisively. She looked behind them and grinned. "And Hana?"

"Yes?"

"You owe me 2000 yen. The motorcycle _is_ his."

Atsuko's eyes widened as Nobu wheeled around the corner the Kawasaki that had been one of the school's favorite mysteries for the last six months. He'd folded his suit blazer into his bag and replaced it with a leather jacket. "Well screw _me_," she mumbled.

Kanako laughed. "There's the Atsuko we know and love."

"That's not what I- oh, forget it," she said, flushing red. "Scram, all of you. And no gossiping," she told Kanako pointedly.

"Now, would I do that?" Kanako grabbed the others by their sleeves and left, turning to call over her shoulder. "Bye bye. Have fun!"


End file.
